Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe (2024)

British
Savory
Chicken Legs
Leeks
Pies

A creamy mixture of poached chicken and leeks in flaky puff pastry that's easy enough for a weeknight meal.

Sydney Oland

Sydney Oland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where she develops recipes and owns and operates three businesses: a bean-to-bar chocolate company, an ice cream company, and a collective food production space. Previously, she wrote brunch and British food recipe columns for Serious Eats.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated August 11, 2023

Why It Works

A combination of breast and leg meat offers a greater variety of textures.
Starting with raw chicken allows you to tailor the taste of both the chicken and the stock.
It's a great dish for company because it can be assembled in advance.

Of all the great things that Britain has given the world, savory pies have got to top the list. From the hand-held pasty to the potato-topped fish pie or the always delicious steak and kidney, a good savory pie is hard to refuse. And this version filled with chicken and leek is a fantastic pie to get started with, if this type of dish is not already one of your favorites. A creamy mixture of poached chicken and leeks in between flaky puff pastry, it's a simple enough meal for a weeknight but is fancy enough that you could easily serve it to guests.

This version is inspired by Nigel Slater's chicken and leek pie for the BBC, with a few basic changes. I like to use a combination of breast and leg meat to get a greater variety of textures in the final product. Working from raw chicken allows you to tailor the taste of both the chicken and the stock using your fridge and spice cupboard (peppercorns, carrot, and celery would all go well in the pot you simmer the chicken in). But if you're limited on time and looking for a shortcut, buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shredding it, then using a premade stock cuts the time way down.

This is a great dish for company because it can be assembled before they arrive and then brushed with egg and baked when you're ready to eat. It is also delicious served at room temperature, which makes it perfect for an early spring picnic or a potluck as well. A tart green salad would be the ideal side to cut the richness of the pastry and the creamy filling.

This recipe is adapted from BBC and originally published as part of the column "British Bites."

March 2013

Recipe Details

Chicken and Leek Pie Recipe

Prep20 mins

Cook2 mins

Active30 mins

Total22 mins

Serves4to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken leg pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
1 medium onion, quartered
3 sprigs parsley
1 small bunch thyme, divided
6 sage leaves, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 leeks, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Directions

In a large pot, combine chicken leg pieces, onion, parsley, 1/2 bunch thyme, and 3 sage leaves, and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, reduce to low, cover, and cook until chicken is tender and falling off bone, about 1 hour. Remove and reserve chicken pieces, strain cooking liquid and reserve, and discard remaining solids. Return cooking liquid to pot and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Reserve.
Shred the chicken and transfer to a large bowl, discarding skin and bones.
Remove leaves from the remaining thyme, and finely slice remaining sage. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, thyme leaves, and sliced sage. Cook, stirring often, until the leeks are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Combine leeks and chicken.
Melt remaining butter in the skillet over medium-high heat and add flour. Cook, stirring often, until flour just begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add 1 1/2 cups reserved cooking liquid and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in cream, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and leeks and mix until fully incorporated; taste and season again with salt and pepper if necessary. Allow the mixture to fully cool before assembling pie.
To Assemble the Pie: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Divide puff pastry into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a 9- by 11-inch rectangle. Place 1 rectangle on an aluminium foil-lined baking sheet, then place the filling in the center of the pie, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with beaten egg, then place the remaining sheet of pastry on top. Pinch the edges closed, then brush the edges with egg and fold each edge over. Brush the rest of the pie with egg. With the tip of a knife, make two holes for the center for the steam to escape, Gently score the top of the pie. Bake until pie is golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie With Buttermilk Biscuit Topping
Individual Double-Crusted Chicken Pot Pies

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
666	Calories
46g	Fat
38g	Carbs
27g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	666
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g	58%
Saturated Fat 12g	61%
Cholesterol 155mg	52%
Sodium 781mg	34%
Total Carbohydrate 38g	14%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 2mg	8%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 310mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

FAQs

Can you freeze chicken and leek pie? ›

Cover each pot pie with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C), and bake for 30 minutes with the foil on top. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Read On ›

What pastry is best for pies? ›

If you are making a pie with a crust you'll need to decide which type of pastry to go for. Shortcrust pastry is the best for pies that fully encase a filling as they tend to be firmer and less likely to leak. Puff pastry is great if you prefer just a pastry lid on top of the filling.

Get More Info ›

Is it better to freeze a chicken pie cooked or uncooked? ›

We suggest freezing your chicken pot pie filling unbaked. You can pre-cook it and then freeze and then re-bake to reheat, but if you do that, you may want to under-bake your pie crust just a little before you freeze.

View Details ›

Is it better to freeze a chicken pie before or after baking? ›

Recipe Tips

To freeze, allow the sauce to cool completely before adding the chicken, peppers and mushrooms (You won't need to reheat the chicken before freezing, either). Place the pie filling in a freezer-to-oven safe dish or a foil tin. Roll the pastry out, place on the top of the pie and freeze before baking.

Discover More ›

Why is my chicken pie so watery? ›

A watery potpie may be the result of not cooking the filling for long enough or adding too much liquid to the filling. Another possible reason for the pie being watery is if you add watery vegetables like spinach or green beans to the filling rather than potatoes or carrots, which soak up liquid.

Discover More Details ›

What is the best pie thickener? ›

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

Read The Full Story ›

Why put vinegar in a pie? ›

Don't worry about making it perfect, especially if it's just for family. It'll tastes good no matter how it looks. Why do you put vinegar in pie crust? It makes the pie crust exceedingly tender and flaky.

Learn More ›

Can I use puff pastry as a pie base? ›

If you want to make a puff pastry base for your pie

As you warm up your oven, put a baking tray in to heat up. Then when you put your pie in the oven, sit the dish on top of the hot baking tray. I find that this really helps to cook the base of the Steak Pie and stop a soggy bottom.

Find Out More ›

What type of pie pan is best for baking pies? ›

Metal pie pans bake up the most even crusts, since metal is a great thermal conductor. While stoneware can bake up a good pie, the material isn't as conductive and retains heat better, which can result in less evenly browned crusts.

Tell Me More ›

Can I use flaky pastry instead of puff pastry? ›

While flaky pastry is somewhat easier to process, it produces a lower volume after baking. Therefore, it is not a good substitute for traditional puff pastry applications such as vol-au-vents or bouchees but is more suited for pie crusts and turnovers.

Get More Info Here ›

Is cornstarch or flour better to thicken a berry pie? ›

Cornstarch makes for a shiny, glossy filling. A little goes a long way because it has twice the gelling power of flour. Flour thickens nicely but leaves more of a matte finish. You'll need to use twice as much as you would with cornstarch.

Do you need to prebake pie crust for Berry Pie? ›

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.

See Details ›

Why do you put lemon juice in a berry pie? ›

The acid in the lemon juice balances the sweetness of the fruit. The lemon juice also helps to enhance and bring out the fruit's natural flavor. I think the lemon juice in a fruit filling is what turns an average fruit pie into a spectacular one.

Does chicken pie freeze well? ›

You can make, bake, cool and freeze. Or you can make, assemble and freeze. Either way when you're ready to cook, there's no need to thaw; just add a good 15-20 minutes of extra baking time. Another way is to just make the filling, cool it and store in freezer-quality bags.

Read On ›

What pies can you not freeze? ›

In general, custard and cream pies do not freeze well. They tend to get soggy and unappealing when you defrost them. On the other hand, Stephens and Wickenden say fruit pies freeze quite beautifully. First, let the pie cool to room temperature.

Can you reheat chicken and leek pie? ›

The pies can be covered and chilled for two days before re-heating. Alternatively, freeze them for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before re-heating.